The present invention relates to a double-safety catch or clasp for connecting the two portions of a bracelet, in particular for a wristwatch.
In addition to the fact that a catch which is referred to as a safety catch must be such that it can be easily operated, it must also comply with at least two basic conditions. Firstly, it must be such as to permit the bracelet first to be easily fixed on the wrist in such a way that there is no danger of its being dropped during that operation. Then, once the bracelet has been definitively closed, any movement of the wrist or the hand or the action of clothes covering the wrist must not in any circumstance result in untimely opening of the catch.
The former of these conditions is met by means of a catch which is referred to as a flap-over catch wherein each of the portions of the bracelet is joined to the other by two pivotally connected segments which can be folded over one onto the other. The second of the above-indicated conditions is generally fulfilled by using various forms of pawl-type catches or clasps.
Such a construction which fulfills the above-mentioned conditions is described in French utility certificate application No FR-A-2 478 970. That construction comprises two segments which are pivotally connected together and which can be folded one onto the other, with the free ends of each of the segments being attached to respective ones of the portions of the bracelet. After the two segments have been brought into a superposed position relative to each other, a latching hook which is fixed with respect to one of the free ends is forced to engage into a locking device which is fixed with respect to the other free end. That device comprises a manually actuable detent member slidable in a housing against the return force of a spring. The housing and the detent member each comprise a hole, with the holes being slightly offset with respect to each other. When the latching hook engages into the holes, it displaces the detent member until the face of the latter is disposed facing the notch defined by the latching hook. At that moment, the detent member is returned to the position in which it locks the latching hook. To free the latching hook, simply acting on the detent member by means of a finger can cause the catch to open. In that respect, the above-described arrangement meets the safety requirement which has been set as an aim to be achieved, as any untimely movement will not result in the catch opening. However, it suffers from the disadvantage of using two more or less rigid segments, which is rather uncomfortable on the wrist, which is not aesthetically attractive, while at the same time being poorly suited to a bracelet of refined design, which is often made of precious metal.